Understand your nicotine addiction

Nicotine is the addictive drug in tobacco. After you've been smoking for a while, your body gets used to nicotine and relies on it to feel normal.

Do you have any of these signs of nicotine addiction?

• You smoke your first cigarette within 30 minutes of waking up.
• You smoke more than ten cigarettes per day.
• You have cravings and withdrawal symptoms when you try to quit.

Nicotine affects the chemicals in your brain, and after a puff, you may feel good for a moment or two. It produces different effects on the body at the same time. It may make you feel relaxed or more alert but this doesn't last long.

When smokers stop, most get cravings. It's normal to feel anxious, hungry and irritable, and find it hard to focus on what you are doing. Even after successfully giving up smoking, most smokers who try to just have an occasional cigarette quickly return to regular smoking.